Foot warm and decorative outdoor area with wooden balcony tiles

Balcony tiles made of wood are now mainly loose elements that are easily and quickly laid out on the balcony floor. Several wooden strips are mounted parallel to square or rectangular balcony tiles on a substructure, which allow easy drainage.

Structure and sources of supply

Almost all used wooden balcony tiles have the click technology, with which the individual elements can be snapped together within minutes. Due to the usually made of plastic substructure, the wooden slats on the balcony tiles have no direct contact with the balcony floor. In this way, the wood in combination with the open joints between the strips can dry quickly and is never exposed to permanent moisture.

The supply of loose wooden balcony tiles has multiplied in recent years due to high demand. In the standard dimensions of 15 by 15 and 20 by 20 cm, the balcony tiles are now finding their way into the shelves of suppliers outside the industry, such as furniture stores or discount stores. Who does not intend to dismantle and store the balcony tiles every winter, but should pay attention to the wood species. Not all products offered are weather and frost resistant.

Wood species and their suitability

According to the standard DIN EN 350-2, trees are assigned a durability class. Basically, tropical woods are classified in the top grade one and the only native woody species are oak and robinia class two. However, many woody plants are offered as balcony tiles, which are made resistant by impregnation and other pretreatments:

Tropical woods such as teak or cumaru are almost indestructible and the most expensive woody plants. They are rarely offered as balcony tiles.

The native Robinia is the most suitable wood for use with balcony tiles and belongs to the durability class two.

For oak, the suitability depends on the quality and type of oak. While thermo-oak is durable, normal oak grout must be pretreated.

The frequently offered acacia, Douglas fir, Siberian larch or pine trees must be assessed on a case-by-case basis and are considered moderately durable.

Tips & Tricks

Although manufacturers claim otherwise, balcony tiles with wooden strips of pine, spruce, beech or fir should not be selected.